Using alcohol swabs on carcass?

[Hagen]

An idea occurred to me recently and I would like to hear others' thoughts.

I carry alcohol swabs with me while stalking to disinfect my hands/knives during gralloching if ever necessary. They are pure ethanol swabs, so I would consider them food safe.

Now if I ever had any minor carcass contamination (say a small rumen spill), my thought was that in addition to wiping the affected area clean with dry paper towels and cutting away contaminated parts as appropriate, I could further minimise any bacterial contamination with a quick wipe of an alcohol swab or two.

Is there anything I'm not thinking of that would go against using an alcohol wipe on a carcass?
Or would it maybe just be a waste of time and not really achieve anything anyway?

Keen to hear what you think!

 

[Mungo]

I can’t help but think it would do something to the meat. Desiccate it maybe? And probably leave a funny taste.

But only one way to find out…

 

[Utectok]

Small amount of carcass contamination I take it home hose it out, reduce chiller time and eat it myself being careful to cut away spoiled meat. I know that’s not best practice but I’ve never had a problem.

 

[Buchan]

It may well leave a taste and the alcohol will be blocked by any green matter. The wiping of the green will probably be as effective (but may spread bacteria). I tend to leave until home and then wipe with dilute Milton. If it's really bad then cut out the infected part

 

[homer]

Small amount of carcass contamination I take it home hose it out, reduce chiller time and eat it myself being careful to cut away spoiled meat. I know that’s not best practice but I’ve never had a problem.

That's right, get the hose into it. Never did anyone any harm.

 

[VSS]

That's right, get the hose into it. Never did anyone any harm.

Hosing out a carcass is contraindicated. Definitely it's best not to.
Any contamination should be trimmed off once the carcass has cooled, set and dried out a bit.
Hosing just spreads the muck around and pushes it into crevices and cut surfaces.
Hosed carcasses often develop a musty flavour, too.

 

[cjm1066]

Perhaps comparable with the chlorine washed American chicken that we won't import.

 

[Automan]

Eat it yourself ok take the risk that's your decision put it in the public food chain definitely not.

 

[big ears]

Alcohol is contraindicated in C.diff. And could be an issue.

 

[Hook'N'Bullet]

Did somebody say they wash their meat with bleach?

 

[Apthorpe]

Did somebody say they wash their meat with bleach?

Americans wash their chicken with a chlorine solution. The experience much lower rates of food poisoning from chicken as a result. Europhile protectionists don't like this and argue that it is unsafe, when the data prove the opposite is clearly the case and while European salad leaves are washed with the same thing.

In the old days, we could look down our noses at Americans and consider them stupid. Now, we're the stupid ones, but conceited with it.

 

[Buchan]

Americans wash their chicken with a chlorine solution. The experience much lower rates of food poisoning from chicken as a result. Europhile protectionists don't like this and argue that it is unsafe, when the data prove the opposite is clearly the case and while European salad leaves are washed with the same thing.

In the old days, we could look down our noses at Americans and consider them stupid. Now, we're the stupid ones, but conceited with it.

Not sure that statement is right. CDC have 48million cases for 334 million population so 14% incidence; FSA has 2.4m for 66m population so 3% incidence In fairness the methods used are different, but I haven't drilled into that.
The issue of chlorine washing isn't so much the presence of chlorine, but the the fact that they need to do it all owing to poor conditions. The UK chicken industry isn't all roses though, and slowing the slaughter line down would probably make a big difference

 

[User00056]

The UK chicken industry isn't all roses though, and slowing the slaughter line down would probably make a big difference

As would reducing stocking densities, and increasing minimum welfare standards, rearing times, etc. Won't happen until the stranglehold supermarkets have on farmers is eased though, sadly

 

[Martiniblack577]

Americans wash their chicken with a chlorine solution. The experience much lower rates of food poisoning from chicken as a result. Europhile protectionists don't like this and argue that it is unsafe, when the data prove the opposite is clearly the case and while European salad leaves are washed with the same thing.

In the old days, we could look down our noses at Americans and consider them stupid. Now, we're the stupid ones, but conceited with it.

‘If present in high numbers, Campylobacter could be resuscitated after chlorine exposure that highlights the limitation of chlorine use.’

Source: Chlorine Induces Physiological and Morphological Changes on Chicken Meat Campylobacter Isolates

Those pesky Euro people huh?

 

[Martiniblack577]

Americans wash their chicken with a chlorine solution. The experience much lower rates of food poisoning from chicken as a result. Europhile protectionists don't like this and argue that it is unsafe, when the data prove the opposite is clearly the case and while European salad leaves are washed with the same thing.

In the old days, we could look down our noses at Americans and consider them stupid. Now, we're the stupid ones, but conceited with it.

2018: Microbiologists put a question mark over chlorine washing

 

[Hook'N'Bullet]

Americans wash their chicken with a chlorine solution. The experience much lower rates of food poisoning from chicken as a result. Europhile protectionists don't like this and argue that it is unsafe, when the data prove the opposite is clearly the case and while European salad leaves are washed with the same thing.

In the old days, we could look down our noses at Americans and consider them stupid. Now, we're the stupid ones, but conceited with it.

Or you could just cook it properly?

 

[Cootmeurer]

When I was in a molecular biology lab we used 95% EtOH for sterilization, but primarily bEcuase we could also flame it.

I don’t have the acces to the articles anymore, but EtOH really isn’t a bacteriacide, it acts as a bacteriastat and its primary Mode of Action is desiccation. Quite a few labs were able to prove successful recovery of E. coli suspended in 95% EtOH. It was even looked at as a way to store strains in sub zero freezers for long term.

In short, I don’t think I would trust EtOh as a field method of hygiene. Probably much easier to carry some disposable sanitizing wipes and then rinse again later under better conditions

 

[Hagen]

When I was in a molecular biology lab we used 95% EtOH for sterilization, but primarily bEcuase we could also flame it.

I don’t have the acces to the articles anymore, but EtOH really isn’t a bacteriacide, it acts as a bacteriastat and its primary Mode of Action is desiccation. Quite a few labs were able to prove successful recovery of E. coli suspended in 95% EtOH. It was even looked at as a way to store strains in sub zero freezers for long term.

In short, I don’t think I would trust EtOh as a field method of hygiene. Probably much easier to carry some disposable sanitizing wipes and then rinse again later under better conditions

Ha, interesting. Purely intuitively I would have guessed the higher the concentration the better but you’re right, a quick search shows that very high concentrations of alcohol are much less effective than ~70%. Apparently having a little water in the mix actually helps the alcohol fully develop its anti-microbial properties.

The wipes I have are individually packaged, single use disinfectant wipes, with a 75% EtOH concentration, specifically designed for use on skin, surfaces and materials. I picked them over other types of disinfectant wipes simply because I know they’ll be safe to use on my hands and knives in the field and then immediately handle a carcass afterwards.

 

[John Gryphon]

Hose the green then drink the alcohol in celebration.

 

[Siggy]

I would have thought that the ethanol would have tainted the meat to some degree. Also, and bear with because it’s a long time since I did o level chemistry but isn’t it a mix of ethanol and methanol? The latter being poisonous?